Overview
The 0-2 defeat to Arsenal extended West Ham's winless streak to four, in which they lost three and scored just two goals.
Coach Nuno Espirito Santo has yet to bring the same solidity in the defence for the "Weightlifters" as he did at Nottingham Forest. Under the Portuguese coach, the London team has conceded 3 goals in just 2 matches he has led.
In fact, West Ham have conceded at least 2 goals in 6/8 matches this season, and have not been able to score in 4 matches. They are also one of only two teams in the Premier League 2025-2026 to have never led when entering the break. 7/8 of their goals in all competitions have come in the second half.
The London Stadium is no longer a fortress as West Ham have lost all 3 matches this season, with a total of 10 goals conceded - an alarming statistic for Nuno and his students.
Meanwhile, Brentford should not be too disappointed after the defeat to Manchester City. They were simply overwhelmed by Erling Haaland's class. On the other hand, Keith Andrews's team still shows encouraging competitiveness against a powerful team of Pep Guardiola.
Andrews can emphasize that Brentford is only 3 points behind the same period last season. And another victory will help them have an even record after 8 rounds like the 2024-2025 season.
Defensively, the Bees have conceded 13 goals in their first seven games under Thomas Frank last season - one more than Andrews currently has. However, in terms of attack, Brentford have only scored 9 goals, 3 less than the same period last year.
Despite losing two of their last three Premier League games and winning just one of their last five, Brentford beat West Ham 1-0 at the London Stadium in February.
However, away form this season is a serious problem. Brentford have lost all three of their away games this season, and have yet to pick up a single point away from home.
Personnel situation
West Ham will welcome back Tomas Soucek, who was suspended for 3 matches after a red card in the match against Tottenham. However, it is still unclear whether Nuno will bring him back to the starting lineup as the midfielder is in decline.
Meanwhile, Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa show more energy and mobility than Soucek and James Ward-Prowse, so the young duo will likely continue to be trusted in midfield.
Up front, Niclas Fullkrug is still unable to return due to injury and his comeback date is still uncertain. However, Callum Wilson is ready to play the second Premier League match of this season for West Ham, giving the attackers more options.
On the other side of the front line, Brentford suffered losses when Antoni Milambo was injured. However, both Jordan Henderson and Yehor Yarmolyuk are fit enough to play.
Defender Aaron Hickey has also recovered from an injury he suffered while on international duty with the Scotland national team and is ready to join.
Up front, Igor Thiago is aiming for his fourth Premier League goal this season, hoping to get Mikkel Damsgaard in attack coordination of the "Bees".
Expected lineup:
West Ham: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Diouf, Fernandes, Magassa, Bowen, Paqueta, Summerville, Wilson.
Brentford: Kelleher, Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Hickey, Henderson, Yarmolyuk, Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade, Thiago.
The match between West Ham and Brentford takes place at 2:00 am on October 21 (Vietnam time).
